ShoDeen scales back plans for apartments near Mill Creek

GENEVA – After receiving a rough reception from Kane County officials earlier this year, ShoDeen has scaled back its plans to build apartments near Mill Creek.

On Tuesday, the Kane County Development Committee again will review a proposal presented by the Geneva-based development company to build apartments on a pocket of land along Keslinger Road in LaFox.

Earlier this year, the committee put off a decision on ShoDeen's Vistas of Mill Creek project, citing strong opposition from Mill Creek residents and lingering questions County Board members had about the project.

However, in the months after that appearance in the County Board room, ShoDeen has further revised the plan. Under the new plan, the developer proposes to build 290 apartments, down from the 390 apartments proposed earlier.

The developer also agreed to wait to build any apartments along Keslinger Road until it first completes 110 additional apartments in Mill Creek's Village Center. And ShoDeen reduced its proposal for new retail space from 39,900 square feet in the earlier plan to 15,000 square feet in the new proposal.

ShoDeen secured approval from the county in 2005 to build a shopping center, office park and about 70 multi-family housing units on the land along Keslinger Road.

But ShoDeen president David Patzelt said market conditions changed, prompting the developer to revise those plans in favor of the apartment complex.

ShoDeen has said the "luxury apartments" would be rented for about $1,400 to $1,600 a month.

Residents of Mill Creek packed meetings with Patzelt in previous months to question the plan, stating they believed the apartments would disrupt their quality of life and reduce their homes' values. Some said they believed the apartments would be rented to "low-income" tenants.

In a memo to the County Board Development Committee, county planners recommended approval of ShoDeen's revised plans, with the requirements that the developer build the additional apartments in Mill Creek's center and that ShoDeen agree to install traffic signals on Keslinger Road when the county determines.

County planners also recommended the committee require ShoDeen to "continue to work with the residents of Mill Cree to improve the layout" of the project.